In the rush to build colossal data-processing centers for Silicon Valley’s suddenly booming artificial intelligence industry, San Jose is positioning itself as the Bay Area’s epicenter for data center development, dominating PG&E’s internal “pipeline” of proposed and under-construction projects it plans to power.
PG&E’s “data center project pipeline” shows that for San Jose, it has received requests to supply electricity to 11 projects totaling 1,630 megawatts of capacity — enough for 1.2 million homes, more than three times the number of housing units in San Jose. Hayward trails in second place, with four projects for 975 megawatts.
Data centers hold thousands of computer chips that process AI tasks, from chatbot queries to complex scientific research. Amid a global frenzy over AI, major Silicon Valley technology companies have invested hundreds of billions of dollars, with venture capitalists backing hundreds of Bay Area AI startups…